


A Model of Modern Monarchy

by sam_winchester_wears_makeup



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, College Boyfriends, M/M, Modern Royalty, Royalty, Some angst, but also fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 08:51:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12032409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sam_winchester_wears_makeup/pseuds/sam_winchester_wears_makeup
Summary: Dean was never meant to be a king. Technically, it was within the realm of possibility, but as 4th in line for the throne it never occurred to him that he would ever be called on to serve.





	A Model of Modern Monarchy

**Author's Note:**

> So this is completely un-betaed. I will probably update when my beta has a chance to finish reviewing but I really wanted to post this so hopefully it's not total crap!

Dean was never meant to be King.

But here he was. Waiting to disembark from the royal air force plane for the first time as King Dean of the House of Campbell. His personal secretary was talking to him about something but it was all just noise. He let his gaze fall to the side and his eyes landed on Castiel, relaxing on the couch. Castiel winked at him but then pointed back to the secretary.

Dean sighed and turned his attention back to Joanna.

“-You will then be greeted at the Palace by your new secretary, Bela, who will escort you to your meeting with the High Council before you will be taken to St. Charles to pay your respects.”

“Wait, hang on.” Dean interrupted, sitting up straighter. “New secretary?”

Jo deflated and gave him a stern look.

“Yes, your new secretary, Bela.” She said calmly, though her jaw seemed to tighten slightly. “As I mentioned earlier, I will no longer be your personal secretary. Bela is the most superior and was secretary to the King so it is only appropriate that she become your secretary. It would be….inappropriate for me to take that role.”

“Well, what if I want you to be my secretary? I mean, I’m King now so can’t I pick who I want?”

Jo smiled, the tightness in her features falling away.

“Technically, yes. However, it would be considered a royal snub to displace Bela and the Campbell’s have been close with the Talbots for some time now.”

Dean sighed and sat back in his chair, fidgeting a little from being trapped in the plane. At least it was a short flight. And the fact that they had to take off in the middle of the night while he was still half asleep, being ushered onto the plane seemed to have helped a little as well. He spent less time thinking about how he might die in a plane crash and more time squeezing the life out of Castiel’s hand and thinking “Holy shit, I’m King now.”

But Dean wasn’t supposed to be King. From birth he was technically fourth in line for the crown through his mother, Princess Mary. King Samuel II ascended to the throne upon his father’s death with his wife, Queen Deanna, and his two children, Mary and David. Mary was older by two years but David was still the Crown Prince, by virtue of him being male.

By the time Princess Mary had married John Winchester, a lesser favored Marques of the country, and given birth to her first son, Prince David had married and his daughter, Gwen, was already 3 years old. This solidified the furthering of the Campbell line to the throne. It would pass to David and then, upon David’s death, would pass on to Gwen.

Unfortunately, the Campbell line was not blessed with good favor.

King Samuel II was a judicious ruler, but was fair to the point of extremes. Everything was black and white in his eyes and no mercy should be shown for those who broke the law with uncorrupted motivation. This made him unpopular with many citizens of the lower class who were plagued with threats of imprisonment for daring to steal food, or defend themselves against those who meant them harm. Samuel had raised David at his side, training him in all that he would need to know in order to

successfully rule the kingdom after his passing. They did not anticipate that this would be for some time yet but Samuel did not presume to live forever. Nor was he ignorant to how fickle life could be and he did not want to pass suddenly and leave the country in the hands of his son without proper preparation.

The first tragedy occurred with the death of David’s daughter, Gwen. She was unfortunately struck with sickness very suddenly and passed away at the age of 24. David and his wife, Delilah, were understandably distraught. Delilah’s pregnancy had been difficult and they were not anticipating the ability to have another child, especially given Delilah’s now advanced age. Nevertheless, they tried and got pregnant again a year later, but Delilah was not able to survive the birth and the child passed within a few days. This understandably created a dilemma as there was no heir following David. He mourned for the appropriate period of time and had begun looking for a new wife who would be able to give him a child to ensure the line of succession.

David had begun discussions with a young countess and it was looking promising that they were heading towards marriage when Dean turned 24. He had finished his schooling about a year prior and was fulfilling his duties as an Earl. Unfortunately, nobody could predict the tragedy that would befall King Samuel and Prince David.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dean’s door swung open and the Earl found himself caught slamming his closet door closed. If Bobby didn’t have Crowley banging down the door at 3 AM he might have taken a second to give a crap. But unfortunately, he did not.

“Dean, Chairman Crowley is here and he wants to see you.” Bobby said.

“Wait, what?” Dean said, his bedhead and befuddled expression painting a wonderful portrait of modern monarchy. Bobby rolled his eyes and stepped towards Dean.

“Chairman Crowley is here for you.” Bobby replied. “And he requested your presence as soon as possible. So I would suggest you make yourself presentable and get to the sitting room.”

Dean nodded, seeming to clear some of the fog from his mine, and moved towards his bathroom when Bobby spoke again.

“He also said to be ready to leave in ten minutes.”

Dean had just grabbed his toothbrush and begun applying toothpaste, poking his head back out the door.

“Leave? To go where?”

Bobby shrugged and turned towards the closet and swung the doors open.

“Wait, Bobby-“ Dean was cut off by Bobby’s exclamation.

“Really, Dean?” He said, turning to look at Dean.

The royal met Castiel’s eyes over Bobby’s shoulder. Cas shrugged, shifting the clothes hanging around him in the slightly cramped closet. He stepped out of the closet and instead flopped down on the bed. Dean felt himself shrink momentarily under Bobby’s hard eyes but eventually broke the staring contest.

“Come on, Bobby. It’s the 21st century and I’m 24 years old. My fiancé should be allowed to sleep in my room.” Dean protested, words slightly garbled by the toothbrush in his mouth.

“Dean to be clear, although we are technically engaged, we have not formally received the approval of the king to marry.” Cas intoned from his spot on the bed. He was playing with the engagement ring hanging on a chain around his neck. He couldn’t wear it in public until an engagement announcement was made.

Dean pointed his dripping toothbrush at him and said, “Technicalities” before turning and spitting into his sink. He rinsed his toothbrush and ran his fingers through his hair, flattening down some sections before returning to the room.

“Boy, you need to stop messing around. If Crowley were to find out that Cas was here AND that you got engaged without permission from the palace…well I highly doubt your grandfather would be very happy.”

“I already contacted the palace and requested a meeting with the King, alright?” Dean said. Bobby had started pulling clothing out of his closet and laying it on the bed.

“You know, you could lend a hand.” Bobby said to Castiel who sat up and made his way back to the closet, pulling out a garment bag. He began stuffing jackets and button ups inside. Dean pulled one of the shirts back out of the garment bag and slipped it off the hanger and shoved his arms inside before grabbing pants out of Bobby’s hands.

“Whoa Bobby, how long did Crowley say I would be gone for? And where am I going?” Dean asked, buttoning up his shirt while watching the pile of clothing going into his luggage grow.

“He said you’re needed at the palace and didn’t say how long you’d be gone for.” Bobby grunted, hefting a now full suitcase off the bed. Dean stepped forward to help but was brushed off.

“Just get downstairs. Don’t give Crowley a reason to bad mouth you to the King if you want your engagement approved.” Bobby said, shooing Dean out of the room.

Alone in the hallway, Dean was suddenly very aware of how quiet the house was. Of course it would be, it was 3 in the morning. He tried to keep his steps steady as he walked down the stairs to his formal sitting room, suddenly nervous for what was waiting for him behind the doors. There was only so much that would bring the most senior royal advisor all the way out to the Winchester family home at this hour of the night. He squared his shoulders and entered the room.

The man waiting for him leapt to his feet upon Dean’s entry and bowed his head briefly before gesturing to the arm chairs. He waited until Dean was seated before taking a seat himself.

“So, Mr. Crowley, what can I do for the palace tonight?” Dean stated. Crowley leaned forward in his seat.

“There has been a development that we need to make you aware of before the news breaks across the country.” Crowley said. Dean nodded to him to continue and steeled himself. Dean would realize later that no amount of deep breathing would have prepared him for what Crowley was about to say. Crowley took a momentary pause before continuing, “I regret to inform you of the sudden passing of your Grandfather, King Samuel, and your Uncle, Prince David. They were killed in a car accident no more

than two hours ago. It is my duty to inform you that by virtue of your mother, Princess Mary, and due to Prince David not leaving any viable heirs prior to his death, you are now King of Casterbury.”

He paused momentarily and watched as Dean digested the information. He certainly hoped that Crowley couldn’t tell that his heart had dropped into the pit of his stomach. The prince tried to school his features to give away nothing.

“Wait, I don’t understand. A car accident? Why were they traveling together?” Dean blurted out.

Crowley sighed.

“We’re still trying to figure that out. There was a charity function this evening and they arrived in separate vehicles. We are unsure yet why one of the drivers would depart from the event knowingly carrying the king and crown prince in the same vehicle. Unfortunately, the driver also perished in the crash. We will, however, continue to investigate the nature of the incident.”

Dean nodded, rubbing a hand across his mouth and leaning his other elbow on the armrest. He proceeded to run his hand through his hair as he felt terror clench around his heart.

Except now he wasn’t a prince trying to hide his terror. He was King. Before Dean’s mind could run wild with conjecture about how the rest of his life would pan out, Crowley began speaking again.

“I understand that this is a large shock. You have not only lost two close family members but are now shouldered with this new title and obligation. Nevertheless, time is of the essence. It is a 45 minute flight to the palace and we must leave as soon as possible. We will not be able to hold the news of the passing of the King and Crown Prince for much longer but if we move quickly the news will break while we are already in the air so we will buy ourselves time to regroup and prepare for your arrival at the palace.”

Dean sat with his mind reeling in the formal sitting room. Lord Crowley excused himself, both to give Dean a chance to collect himself and to inform members of the household of the change so that they could assist in readying Dean to leave as soon as possible.

When Dean felt that he could stall no longer, he stood from his seat and made his way to the door. Upon opening it, he was confronted with the small handful of staff that they had who stayed overnight to maintain the property. One or two continued with their duties, forgetting already the reason they were rushing around. But most stopped immediately and went into deep bows until Dean was able to escape down the hallway towards the staircase to make his way back to his room.

He was used to people acknowledging his royalty. But in non-ceremonial circumstances or unless he was at some function or another, they typically acknowledged him with averting of their eyes and a slight bow of the head or curtsey. And when he was in public outside of Winchester and the capital he was barely even recognized half the time. He was not accustomed to the sweeping bows that he was already dreading experiencing.

He paused outside his own bedroom, surprised at how quickly he arrived, given that his anxious descent only 20 minutes earlier (Had it only been that long?) seemed to take an age. His hand hesitated over the knob before he opened it and stepped into the room.

Bobby and Cas stood frozen and Crowley’s eyes swung to the door, perhaps not expecting Dean so quickly.

“Your highness.” Crowley said, bowing his head slightly. Bobby and Cas unfroze at that moment and quickly bowed as well. Not as grand as the servants in the hallway had been but that actually made Dean relax a little.

“I trust that we will be able to leave shortly, presuming that the help here is as swift as those at the palace.” Crowley said, “We really do need to get going as quickly as possible.”

“Wait, Lord Crowley.” Dean said. “Has my family been notified yet?”

“No, your majesty. A royal advisor can be dispatched as soon as you are in the air.”

“I would like to inform my brother, at least. He deserves to hear from me.”

“Very well.” Crowley said. “I will make sure that he is available for you to call as soon as you are on the plane.”

And with that, Crowley stepped back out into the hallway leaving Dean along with Bobby and Cas.

King Dean with his fiancé, Cas the commoner. Who was from another country.

Shit. What did this mean for him and Cas? Dean felt guilty for only just now remembering his fiancé and their marriage plans that could go flying out the window. He promised himself that they would address that as soon as possible. But Crowley was right. There were people sitting on their hands and trying to contain the story of the death of the King and Crown Prince. The people of Casterbury deserved to know as soon as possible but they needed to get Dean out of Winchester manor first.

“Ok.” Dean said, his voice seeming shocking loud in the silence that had fallen over the room. “Everything’s fine…I think. We just need to finish packing and hit the road.”

Bobby nodded and turned back to Dean’s things. Most of his items had been packed, save for his toiletries. Bobby ducked into the bathroom which gave Cas and Dean a much needed few minutes alone. Cas quickly stepped into Dean’s space. He paused for a moment before Dean reached out and took him into his arms. Tension melted out of Cas’s shoulders as he securely wrapped his arms around Dean.

“Are you ok?” He murmured into Dean’s ear. Dean let out a loud sigh but didn’t answer right away.

“Honestly, I have no idea.” He answered. They stood for a long moment before Bobby’s bustling in the bathroom brought them back to the present. Before they separated, Dean asked, “Will you come with me? To the palace?”

“Of course, Dean.” Cas replied, pulling back and cupping Dean’s face in his hands. “I’ll call work in the morning and figure something out. Or I’ll quit.” They both chuckled. “One or the other.”

They both returned to organizing Dean’s things, without saying another word. Cas wouldn’t have time to go home to pack a bag so he would need to make do with borrowing items of Dean’s or by having someone pick up something later on.

Before he knew it, he was being shuffled out the door and into a waiting vehicle. Crowley raised an eyebrow when Cas followed but said nothing. Bobby would be staying behind at the manor to arrange everything with the servants. They would need to set up new maintenance schedules since the house would be empty for the foreseeable future, with Sam living on campus at University.

The ride to the airport was equally silent aside from Crowley advising him that his personal secretary had been contacted and would be meeting them at the airport to brief him on the plane.

Oh shit the plane, Dean suddenly remembered.

He must have tensed or winced or something because Cas’s hand found his and squeezed gently. He looked over at Cas and felt his shoulders relax. He was so happy he met Cas.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“So what, you’re like a prince or something?”

Dean chuckled and turned to look at his new roommate who was already spread out on his bare mattress shoved into the corner of the room.

“Or something.” Dean answered, continuing to shove his clothes into his dresser with no regard for how they had been carefully folded into his suitcase.

Unfortunately, this was a common conversation he encountered with living on campus and choosing to go to college abroad. Everyone in Winchester was used encountering the prince regularly so he had gotten used to the nonchalance that came with encountering people in public settings. However, with already one year under his belt at the University of Montgomery, he was also now used to the whispers that occasionally followed him around campus.

“There he is….no the one on the left. Yeah, him. He’s like a Duke or something.”

“No I heard he’s a prince. He’s going to be a king one day.”

“Well, I don’t care either way. As long as you don’t leave wet towels on the floor and don’t have any 8 am classes.” Said his roommate, who had introduced himself as Cas when Dean arrived at the dorm. Although, Dean could have guessed anyway, given that there were two yellow sticky notes stuck to the door with “Dean Winchester” and “Castiel Novak” scrawled on them with slanted writing.

Dean spared a calculating glance at his roommate before shrugging and returning to his dresser. Eventually Cas had had enough of laying on his mattress and fished out his sheets and blanket and made his bed. He flopped back on the bed, apparently satisfied with completing one unpacking task at a time, and pulled out a book and started reading.

Dean had moved on to putting up some posters, having made his bed already. He could feel when Cas stopped reading and was glancing at him over his book. It happened a few times before Cas eventually gave up on reading. Dean heard the mattress squeak as Cas sat up and leaned back against his pillows.

“But just so I know...in case anyone asks.” Cas started carefully, “You ARE a prince, right?”

Dean pressed down on the last corner of his poster, ensuring that the fancy foam sticky things they made him buy were going to hold before turning around and sitting down on his bed.

“Yeah, technically I’m a prince.” Dean said. His brother, Sam, would have been annoyed of this conversation already but at 15 there wasn’t much that didn’t annoy the kid. He was already pretty disenfranchised with the whole “royal family” thing and was just counting his lucky stars that there was about a 0% chance he would ever have to take a formal title aside from Prince.

Dean didn’t mind though. His mother was proud of their bloodline and had instilled that in Dean at a young age.

“So what does technically mean?” Cas asked, taking advantage of Dean’s openness.

“Well, technically, I am Prince Dean of the house of Campbell. That’s my formal, royal title.” Dean said, leaning back against his own pillow, a mirror image to his roommate. “My Grandfather is King Samuel the second and my uncle is Crown Prince David.”

“So will you ever have to be King?” Cas asked, leaning his head on his arm which was resting on the short bedpost. Dean thought it was kind of cute how genuinely interested Cas seemed to be. He wasn’t fishing like some people, especially young women, tend to do.

“Nah.” Dean answered, shaking his head, “I’m basically 4th in line for the throne. But they would have to go through my grandfather, my uncle, and my cousin first.”

“So is that why you’re only ‘technically’ a prince?” Cas said, using air quotes, “Because you’re not actually intended to be King?”

“No, I’m always a prince, even though I won’t ever be King. But that’s really my formal title. I am also referred to as Lord because I’m the Marquess of Wesson and the Earl of Winchester; Those are called my working titles.” Dean replied, kind of wishing he had a flow chart or something for Cas who already looked confused. Dean jumped back in before Cas could pose another question. “My mom was a princess but after she married my dad she took on the title of Marchioness. My dad was the Earl of Winchester but the royal family awarded him the title of Marquess of Wesson when he married my mom. Eventually when I marry my wife will be Marchioness and my first son will be Earl. Unless I marry a dude, in which case he will just be a lord.”

“Oh” Cas said, somewhat faintly. “I had heard Casterbury had legalized gay marriage but didn’t realize it applied to the nobility.”

Dean shrugged a little.

“Yeah, I mean it’s definitely not, you know, normal or anything just yet. That’s why they haven’t come up with a good title situation for same sex partners of nobility. They only know that there can’t be two Marques of the same house at the same time but they can’t give them the secondary title because what would the first born be called then. Plus, not everyone has a secondary title. It’s kind of a mess, but they’re working on it.”

Cas hummed in response before getting up.

“Want to see if the pizza in the cafeteria has gotten any worse?” he said, effectively ending the conversation. Dean huffed out a laugh.

“What, that’s it? You’re all out of questions?”

Cas smiled at him.

“No, I still have some more. But I want to save them so we still have stuff to talk about”

So they went and got pizza. It had gotten worse. They each still ate two slices and then groaned about their poor stomachs back in their room.

About a week and a half later they were playing video games off their little TV in their dorm room when Cas randomly asked “So do people bow to you and stuff?”

“Sometimes. There actually isn’t official etiquette for what you have to do, but most people just do it out of habit or because they think they’re supposed to.”

They continued to pound on their controllers killing zombies for the rest of the night.

One afternoon in the library, Cas held up a textbook for his northern civilizations class and pointed to a picture of some oil painting Dean was sure he had seen somewhere before.

“Are you related to him?” he asked.

“Uhh…” Dean squinted at the picture before reading the caption “Oh yeah, he was my great-great grandfather, on my mom’s side.”

“Cool.” Cas said, going back to actually reading his textbook.

“And do you happen to know anything about his fiscal policies during his reign?” Cas asked. Dean actually laughed out loud.

“No, but I know that he was always a dick to my grandfather when he was a kid. Put that in your paper.”

Cas just rolled his eyes.

One morning, Dean woke up with a pounding headache and a hatred of the sun as it peeked through the curtain. He rolled over and discovered Cas in the bed next to him. Cas seemed unbothered and simply rose from the bed, stark naked, and began dressing. He paused while zipping up his jeans and turned back to Dean, who was still huddled under the blankets with a puzzled look on his face.

“Do kings and princes still have people who dress them?”

“Um. Usually only for formal events and stuff. And even then it’s mostly just helping them put on a jacket and handing them things. Except for the women. They usually have dressers to help them zip…and stuff.” Dean said, his throat feeling scratchy. “Dude, did we-?”

“Yes, we did.” Cas answered, continuing to put his clothes on. “Are you going to freak out now?”

Dean paused. “I don’t think so.”

Cas seemed slightly surprised.

“Oh. Well…good. That would be…uncomfortable.” Cas said, seeming to suddenly realize the awkwardness of the situation.

“Yeah, good thing it’s not uncomfortable.” Dean joked. The tension deflated out of the room. Cas ran a hand through his permanently tousled hair before taking initiative and sitting back on Dean’s bed. They spent the rest of the day watching shit television and chatting in between heated make out sessions.

The weeks rolled by and the semester was almost over and Dean and Cas were just getting into, what Dean considered, a really good make out session when Cas pulled away.

“Hey, wha-“

“So wait, what will your job actually be after you graduate? Do you go to a castle and have an official office for Marquess Business or something?” Cas asked.

Dean was momentarily frozen before he started laughing.

“Dude, I do not have the time right now to go through my entire career future” Dean said, laughing. “How about when we’re making out you stick to yes or no questions?”

Cas sighed, as if incredibly put out, and agreed allowing Dean to pull him back down into a kiss.

It wasn’t always easy on campus, with one of them being royalty and all. There was more than one snide look at Cas and Dean holding hands and whispers accusing Cas of being a gold digger who “turned” the poor prince who was so sheltered in a castle that he didn’t know any better.

But Dean would say those years were the best of his life. And he wouldn’t have changed a single moment.  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Your Majesty? We have Prince Sam on the phone for you.”

Dean had just barely gotten through the plane taking off and a brief run through of his itinerary for the next day with his secretary, Jo, when a royal aide appeared out of nowhere. He fumbled with the buckle on his flight seat before standing.

“Thank you, just give me one second?” Dean replied. The young girl nodded and disappeared back to the private room beyond the main seating area. Dean felt Cas rise next to him and he gripped his hand tightly before moving further into the cabin towards a couch pushed against a wall.

“Ok so I’m gonna go talk to Sammy and then I’ll be back.” Dean said. Cas rubbed his thumbs over Dean’s skin.

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked, gently.

“No.” Dean answered. “Thanks but uh….I gotta tell him alone. I just hope that he hasn’t heard from anyone else yet.”

Cas nodded and pulled Dean in for a quick kiss before releasing his hands to let him leave the room.

Dean entered the small, private room and closed the door. He knew that the privacy was a charade as all of his calls from now on would be monitored. He cut off that train of thought and tried to focus on one issue at a time.

There was a cushioned chair seated next to a small, elegant looking side table with an older model phone sitting on top of it. Yet another façade. The royal family always wanted to keep things looking the

same for as long as possible to hearken back to a more “dignified” era, some would say, but Dean highly doubts that having a rotary phone on a jet plane was really helping much of anything.

He sat in the chair and picked up the phone.

“Hey Sammy.” He said, knowing that he was waiting on the other end of the line.

“Dean, what’s going on? Is everything ok?” Sam said, in a hushed voice. Poor kid was probably still in his dorm room trying not to wake his roommate.

“Sam, listen.” Dean said, cutting right to the chase. “There was an accident. You were probably going to hear it as soon as you woke up anyway but I wanted you to hear it from me first. Grandpa and Uncle David are dead. There was a car crash.”

“Wait, hang on.” Sam said. Dean could hear him shuffling around and heard a door open and close before he spoke again, his voice a little louder. “Ok, what was that? Because it sounded like you said that Grandpa and Uncle David died.”

“Yeah, they did. A few hours ago.” Dean said, looking briefly out the window at the moonlit clouds before pulling the shade on the window.

“Dean that’s-that’s not possible. They’re not allowed to travel together so what someone hit both of their cars? And wait if they’re dead then….Dean, where are you?”

Dean licked his lips and wished he had a glass of water because suddenly his throat felt dry.

“I’m on a plane, Sammy. Headed to the palace.”

“Holy shit.” Sam whispered. “Does anyone else know? It is on the news?’

“Not yet. I mean, I don’t think. They wanted me off the ground before the news broke.”

“Ok so, are you ok?” Sam asked.

“I’m ok, Sam.” Dean said, “I’m more worried about you.”

“Me?”

“Listen up, some people from the embassy are coming to get you so pack a bag and be quick about it. They’ll probably be there in less than an hour.”

“What, why?” Sam exclaimed. “Dean, I don’t wanna go, I hate the palace.”

“Yeah well your place is going to be mob city tomorrow morning as soon as everyone hears the news. We don’t want anything happening to you.” Dean said firmly.

“Come on, Dean I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can but just…” Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Look, it’s been a really long night and I’m not going to be getting to sleep anytime soon so can we please not fight?”

There was silence on the other end for a beat befo

“Yeah, sorry.” Sam said, “I just hate all that stuff, you know? I mean look what happened? You have to give up everything just because of our parents. You know you don’t have to be King, right? You could abdicate. We can let Christian be King.”

Dean snorted at the thought of their snobby second cousin leading the country.

“I know Sam, but it’s what mom would have wanted.” Dean said gently before clearing his throat. “Besides, you would have had to come up in a few days for the funeral anyway so what difference does it make if you leave tonight?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sam replied, but Dean could hear the smile in his face.

“Ok, I gotta go. Got some King stuff to do.”

“Shut up, Dean”

“Hey! It’s shut up, Your Majesty, now.” Dean reprimanded.

“Ok, I’m hanging up now.” Sam said “Apparently, I have to pack.”

“I’ll see you soon, little brother.”

“Bye Dean.”   
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dean remembers going to see his cousin Gwen crowned as Princess of Campbell. He was 15 and she had just turned 18 so it was time for a formal, though totally pointless, anointing of Gwen as the crown princess of Casterbury and ceremoniously acknowledging her eventual rule as queen. He was with his mother in the car driving all the way to Belmoray and he didn’t understand why he had to be in his suit with all of his pins and fringe on the shoulders. John had stayed behind in Winchester another day, as the ceremony wasn’t actually until tomorrow. Sam sat in the seat next to Dean, but the 11 year old was slumped against the window asleep. Mary sat across from him and she leaned forward slightly to place her hand on his chin.

“Dean, there are people who gather along the sides of the roads just to catch a glimpse of your sweet face. It would be nice if there were a smile on it for them.” She had said, rubbing a knuckle into his cheek. He squirmed away from her and rolled his eyes but he couldn’t fight a small smile.

“Why do they even care though? You’re not a queen, and I’m not Gwen.” Dean said. Mary smiled.

“No, I’m not. But I am still a princess, just like you’re a prince. That means something to those people and we want to make sure that we are here for them.” She answered. She paused for a moment before continuing, “Dean, being royal is about more than just who is King and Queen. All of us are part of the royal family. Our job, is to rule with our Council and be a good example for the people. They are supposed to model their lives after ours because our family has been touched by God and blessed as ordained leaders. God chose your ancestors to rule fairly and judiciously and lead all of the people. And even though we will not be the rulers within our family, our role is to support your grandfather and then your uncle, and then your cousin.”

Dean had always been very close with his parents, but he was especially close with his mother. He enjoyed it when his father let him sit in on meetings to learn and even more when his dad took him

hunting and fishing. But it never quite had the same feeling as when his mother taught him to bake a pie for the first time. Or when she would sing him to sleep as a small child. This private conversation was one that he could always look back on as one of those quiet, personal moments that he shared with her.

“Is that why you always used to tell me that angels were watching over me?” He asked.

“They watch over all of us, Dean.” She answered. “You will always be Prince Dean of Campbell because it was always meant to be that way. Even if you’re never King, you will always be chosen.”

Dean would remember that conversation the rest of his life. His mother died a couple of years later from an illness and when Sam started acting out about titles and rules Dean had tried to explain to him what their mother had said. But he could never get the words quite right. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Dean blew out a breath as he flopped down on the couch, dropping his head in Cas’s lap. Gentle hands wound their way into his hair and lightly scratched at his scalp. He groaned quietly.

“How did Sam take the news?” Cas asked quietly. Dean shrugged.

“About as well as you would think.” Dean answered. “He’s annoyed that he has to leave school to tend to royal duties.”

“Well, he just jumped from 5th to 1st in line for the throne so I think some lifestyle changes can be expected.” Cas replied. Dean threw his hands over his eyes and groaned again.

“Babe, what are we going to do?” Dean asked.

“We are going to get through this plane ride and after that we will take it one step at a time starting with getting you to the palace.” Cas said, his fingers continuing to comb through Dean’s hair. Dean reached up and grabbed one of his hands.

“Cas, I’m serious.” Dean said, looking Cas in the eye, which was no easy feat given that he was looking at Cas from the lap up. “There has never been a gay royal on the throne and they only just passed surrogacy laws less than a year ago. What if they don’t let us get married? Or use a surrogate? Christ, what if Sammy DOES have to take the throne after I die because I never have ‘legitimate’ kids. Wait, what if they make me abdicate?”

Cas pulled his hand free from where Dean had it clutched in a death grip and used it to gently touch Dean’s cheek.

“Dean, you have got to calm down.” Cas said.

“Come on, Cas you can’t tell me you’re not freaking out.” Dean argued, trying to keep his voice down to preserve what little remained of his privacy in such close quarters on the plane. Cas gave Dean a bittersweet smile.

“Of course I’m freaking out, Dean. But we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We just need to take care of what we can right now.” Cas said. He threaded his fingers back with Deans where his hand was resting on his chest. “We will get off the plane, we will deal with the formalities of the King’s death, and then afterwards when we have some time, we will talk to the council about the future of our relationship and

we will go from there. There is no sense in getting all worked up when we have no idea what they will decide.”

Dean rubbed his thumb back and forth along Cas’s hand and tried to nod along.

“Dean, just close your eyes for now. We have about 10 more minutes until we land and all hell breaks loose.” Cas said. Dean let out a short laugh at that and Cas smiled wryly down at him. “Get some rest while you can. Who knows when your next chance will be.”

Dean smiled up at Cas and nodded before closing his eyes. He drifted off to the white noise pumped into the plane and the gentle scratching from Cas’s fingers massaging his head.

Cas only had a moment or two to relax before Crowley took a seat in the chair sitting snug next to the couch.

“Please, can we just let him sleep for a few more minutes?” Cas asked, looking at Crowley who was leaning forward in his seat.

“Actually, you’re the one I need to speak with.” Crowley answered. “It is my job to make sure that you know what will be expected of you within the coming days and I’m not going to lie to you. It won’t be easy.”

Cas suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and heave a deep sigh.

“With all due respect, Lord Crowley, I have no intention of leaving Dean if that is what you are alluding to. This is not the middle ages.” Cas said, trying not to let his nervous energy wake Dean who had actually somehow fallen asleep. “I know it’s a little complicated but I plan on doing everything I can to make sure that Dean is successful and happy.”

Crowley seemed to mull over Cas’s little impromptu speech before pursing his lips.

“You know, it would be a lot easier for both of you if you did end it.” Crowley replied. Cas opened his mouth to reply but Crowley held up his hand. “BUT…if you insist on continuing with your relationship then there is a lot you will need to learn and adjust to.”

“I’ve been dating Dean for almost 5 years now, I think I’m pretty used to his society.”

“You were used to the society of an Earl from a small region of the great kingdom of Casterbury. You have no idea what you are about to walk into. You are dating the soon to be coronated King of a country to which you do not belong and for whom you can produce no heirs. This will be a tough sell, not just to the council, but to the entire country. I certainly hope that you are prepared for the type of resistance you may experience. You will have to more perfect than any other resident of this country. More devout, more respectful, more patriotic. It will be only too easy to make a mistake.”

Castiel chewed on his lower lip and looked down at his fiancé. He could still hardly believe that soon there would be a crown on the head sitting in his lap. He looked back up at Crowley.

“Ok, so what do I need to know?”

“Oh, far more than I could tell you in the” Crowley checked his watch, “5 more minutes we have until this plane lands.”

“Ok. Well then how about we start with what I need to know that will get me through the next few hours.”  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dean rubbed his eyes after shrugging on his suit jacket. An aide behind him brushed off the shoulder pads as it settled around his frame. The plane had landed about 10 minutes or so ago and Cas had regretfully awoken Dean from his brief nap to change. There had been no time at the manor to change from what Dean had already been wearing but there was no way Crowley was letting him off that plane in anything other than a full black suit. They’d had to dig through his garment bags and luckily found that Bobby had thrown in a black shirt along with his black suit. It wasn’t full mourning dress but it would do until he could get to the palace. The rest of his wardrobe would be at the palace within a day or so.

Not to mention, Dean was sure that he would have plenty of new items added to his wardrobe over the next few weeks. He didn’t have quite the array of pants and vests and jackets and who knows how many pairs of shoes he might need. He was going to miss his t-shirts he thought with a tinge of regret.

With a brief pat to his back the aide stepped away from Dean and bowed his head briefly and allowed Dean to add any last minutes touches to his own appearance in the small mirror placed in front of him.

“You look fine, Dean.” Cas said, pulling Dean’s hand away from his brow where he had been fussing with his hair again. Dean sighed and squeezed Cas’s hand.

“Yeah, yeah. Guess I can’t hide in the plane forever.” Dean raised Cas’s hand to his mouth and pressed a small kiss to the knuckles before turning to Crowley where he stood with the small crew aboard the plane. “Alright, I’m ready.”

Crowley nodded and turned to the rest of the crew who finished gathering up items from around the plane before lining up near the door. The pilot personally opened the door and suddenly the sound of what had to be hundreds of people entered the cabin. It was still dark outside, given the hour of night, but the flashing of hundreds of cameras made it seem almost day. The pilot stepped back and stood at attention at the door and raised his hand to his brow in salute.

Dean released Cas and saluted back. It was a light touch just to the tip of his hairline. It was a less formal version of the Pilot’s salute, one that was typically delivered by royals with no military background. The pilot released his salute and stepped back from the door. Dean heaved a large breath and turned to Cas.

“You ready?” He asked. Cas smiled warmly.

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Dean nodded and stepped towards the door. He paused, checking that his suit jacket was buttoned and finally moved to stand in the doorway.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_“We have been waiting anxiously for almost an hour and it appears that we may finally be ready to catch a glimpse of our new king. For those of you who have just joined us, we are currently at the royal runway where the new King Dean has landed no more than 10 minutes ago. The shocking loss of King Samuel and Prince David has sent much of the country into confusion and panic. For more details on King Samuel and Prince David, please tune into our sister station CTV-2 where news anchors have the most up to date information on the tragedy that occurred earlier this morning._

_“For now the country is asking, what kind of King will we be welcoming? Not much is known of His Royal Highness, the former Prince Dean. He has mostly remained out of court due to his education at the University of Montgomery with the exception of a few appearances several years ago. He graduated last year and had yet to make a formal public appearance or a visit to the Palace, although sources within the palace say that he was due to meet with the late King Samuel within the next few weeks. The subject of their meeting was not disclosed._

_“Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like the door to the plane is finally opening! As you can see the energy here is high and there is plenty of security barring us from getting too close. But everyone here is just as anxious as you at home to finally welcome our new king.”_  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dean was quite ready to fall asleep as soon as his face hit the pillows. But he resisted the urge, even as Cas’s hands came down to gently massage at his shoulders.

“You did great, Dean.” He murmered. “Just relax now, you don’t have anywhere to be for a few hours.”

Dean grunted in return but sat up in bed despite the suggestion.

“I should call Sammy and check in. Make sure he got out of school ok.”

“Ok, but let me go get the phone, you just relax.”

Cas went to rise from the bed but found his hand grabbed by Dean who pulled him back down. He laid a soft kiss on his lips.

“You’re an absolute saint.” Dean muttered. Cas snorted.

“Ok Romeo. Let’s get your brother on the line so you can finally get some sleep. You’re getting delusional.”

“No, I mean it.” Dean said. “This whole mess has been completely crazy and I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without you.”

Cas smiled and ran a hand through Dean’s hair, gently ruffling it.

“Well, one day down. Just have to get through the rest of our lives.” Cas answered. Dean smiled and pulled Cas into another sweet kiss before he departed to get the butler.

The few hours since getting off the plane had been absolutely hectic. The entire country watched his descent and short walk to the car as if it were the most fascinating thing they had ever seen. Not to mention all of the media speculation surrounding the mysterious man who exited the plane and followed Dean into his car.

True to Jo’s words earlier in the day, Dean was taken directly to the palace and was met by Bela Talbot. They had a brief meeting of introductions before she ran him through his itinerary for the day. Despite the fact that it was nearing 5 AM, he was not allowed to bed yet. Tradition dictated that he was first required to head straight to the High Council.

Crowley greeted him in one of the Council Rooms and introduced him to the other 6 members. Dean couldn’t remember all of their names but was sure he would get them eventually. Maybe when he was less sleep deprived.

Following that meeting he was whisked away to St. Charles for his second public appearance. While the crowd outside was loud and raucous, once alone inside the church the silence was even more deafening than the crowd.

The sight of his grandfather and uncle laid out in their royal uniforms for the final time was not a sight Dean had ever wished to see. At least not while they both looked so young, and certainly not at the same time. He was truly unsure how they had possibly gotten the bodies as clean as they had in the time since the crash, but Dean supposed they had protocol for these sorts of things. He simply reflected for what he deemed to be an appropriate amount of time on the enormity of his new burden before turning to have a brief chat with his mother.

He laid a gentle kiss to his fingers and gently touched them to the stone plaque bearing his mother’s name. To his father’s displeasure, he was not be able to be buried within the church when he passed, nor had he won the fight with Samuel over Mary being interred at the Winchester mausoleum, where his body currently resides.

St. Charles was a sacred place. It was where royalty was anointed, crowned, wed, and buried. Though Mary never ruled the country she was blood royalty and thus was granted burial in the tomb below the sanctuary where she had also taken her first steps as Mrs. John Winchester on the arm of her new husband.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing here, Mom.” Dean said quietly. He was well aware of the echoing acoustics of the hall and was not willing to risk anyone overhearing. “I’m gonna do my best though. Hopefully the next time you see me will be when I’m marrying Cas here. Well, after my coronation I guess. I hope I make you proud.”

Dean bid farewell to his mother, gave one last bow of respect to his Grandfather and Uncle, and left the hall.

Finally he was escorted to his temporary rooms at the palace where Cas was waiting for him. Bela had told him that the council wanted to meet with him again the next day for a more in depth meeting to bring him up to speed on most affairs but certainly understood that even royals needed their sleep. He was to meet Bela in his receiving chamber no later than 1 PM and given that it was just about 7 AM he was quite ready for sleep.

Cas returned with a cell phone in hand and passed it directly to Dean without a word.

‘Being royalty means you don’t even have to dial your own phone’ Dean thought, wryly. He raised the phone to his ear and grumbled out a “Hey” to Sam on the other side of the line.

“Man, you sound beat.” His little brother answered him. Dean just grunted in response. Sam chuckled a little before continuing, “Cas said you wanted to check in. Security picked me up a couple of hours ago. No major fuss on campus or anything, I think most people were still asleep. Anyway, I’m on my way. Should probably be there by around dinner. Hopefully we’ll be able to have some time when I get there but I’m assuming you’ll be a little busy.”

“You think?” Dean joked. “At least I get to go to bed now. But I’ll talk to Bela about letting me out of the cage for dinner with you.”

“Good. It’ll be good to see you, Dean.” There was a momentary pause on the line. “I saw you on TV a little. You’re all they’re talking about. Anyone who ever knew you in school or back home is doing interviews. And they’ve figured out who Cas is but I don’t think anyone knows about the engagement yet.”

“Yeah well we didn’t really tell anyone except you, Bobby, and Dad. Well, and the security guys listening on the line. Hi there security guys.” Dean said jokingly, laughing a little to himself. Cas rolled his eyes and pulled the phone from Dean’s hand.

“Hey, it’s Cas. Dean’s getting loopy and I think he needs some sleep.”

“Yeah I would say so. Tell him that wasn’t even a little bit funny.” Sam said, though he was chuckling a little to himself. “How have you been doing by the way Cas?”

“I’ve been good. We got to the palace around 5 and Dean had to go do some royal stuff so I actually had a nap. It’s been hectic but we’re managing.”

“Good. Alright, well I’ll see you later today.” Sam said. “Keep taking care of my brother, ok?”

“I will, Sam.” Cas handed the phone back to Dean who could barely keep his eyes open.

“Later Bitch.”

“Dean, you can’t call me a bitch anymore, you’re a King.”

“Ah you ruin all my fun. I’ll see you later, Sammy.”

“Bye Dean.”

Cas took the phone and went to return it and by the time he came back Dean was fast asleep.  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

John Winchester was not the type of man the royal family would have picked out for Princess Mary. In fact, her father had thrown a bit of a fit when she had announced to him her intentions to marry.

He could have technically forbid her. It was within his rights as the sovereign to approve of any royal marriages. But he knew she would never forgive him. And she was not only his Princess but his “princess.”

And, after all, it’s not like she was the Crown Princess. No, Samuel could watch their wedding knowing that John Winchester would never sit on his throne and that Mary would live a comfortable life.

Regardless of how anyone else felt about John, Mary knew he was the one for her. He was devoted, kind, hard working, and incredibly smart.

And sometimes they hated each other.

There was something about John that would often infuriate Mary. She would storm away and lock herself in her room at the palace until she had sufficiently cooled off enough to go shooting, imagining John’s face on each of the clay pigeons she shattered with devastating accuracy. But John would always come for her and they struggled through their problems.

But that was part of what Mary loved about John. It was a common trope in sappy tv movies that whenever there is a princess or duchess or some other female royal who was of marrying age, she would always inevitably fall for the man who came from outside the society. Because he didn’t treat her with all the graces and airs afforded to her as a princess, but as a person. And Mary found, to her chagrin, that it wasn’t all just talk in the movies.

Of course John wasn’t exactly a commoner. He grew up in a manor with a few servants and inherited his Earldom from his father. But still, the Winchesters weren’t often brought to court. It’s quite a coincidence that John and Mary even had opportunity to meet. But, as fate would have it, they both happened to be attending the same charity function (They would argue in later years whether it was a benefit for orphans or a school) and you could say they were both struck with Cupid’s arrow.

The years of their marriage, much like the few years of their courtship, had their ups and downs. But in the end, their love always won out and with Sam and Dean came new challenges.

Nobody could have predicted that breast cancer would take Mary away when Dean was just 18 years old. The entire country mourned with John, Sam, and Dean as they walked grimly behind her casket being paraded through the street, John looking like he’s rather crawl inside the casket with her.

And he did a few years later, in his own way.

It only took three years for John to drink his liver away. He drew even further away from court, which was quite a feat considering how far removed he was to begin with. Dean picked up the slack where his father found himself unable to, attending ceremonies and dinners where needed. He found himself spending more weekends at home than at school and contemplated transferring to a smaller university in Winchester. But Sam wouldn’t hear of it. He finally persuaded Dean to stop covering for their father so much and spend more weekends at school and less going to functions making excuses for why his father couldn’t make it.

Cas hadn’t really understood Dean’s need to fulfill his royal obligations EVERY weekend and it had led to some tension between them for several months.

Dean wondered if he was a terrible person for the relief he felt once his Dad finally died.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The double funeral took place a few days later. It was grander even than the one for Dean’s mother only 7 years prior. Although Dean had to say that the adoring public that came out in droves didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic as before, but that could have been Dean’s imagination.

As the new reigning sovereign, it was Dean’s honor to drop the first handful of dirt into each grave before being followed by Sam and then a litany of distant cousins whose names Dean could never really remember.

The luncheon that followed the funeral was, luckily, permitted to be a family only affair.

The days following the funeral seemed to pass in a whirlwind. Now that his grandfather and uncle were barely cold in the ground, it was full steam ahead with plans for the coronation. That along with daily meetings with the High Council, overseeing the renovations to what would be his “royal bedchamber” (as Dean liked to say while wagging his eyebrows lewdly at Cas to make him smile), as well as additional

preparations for various state dinners and events. The palace would be hosting plenty of guests leading up to the coronation who needed to formally greet the new leader of Casterbury.

And by his side through the entire ordeal (well, those permitted by law and custom) was Cas. Cas, who stood solemnly several rows behind Dean at the funeral, and who sat next to Dean and clutched his hand beneath the table at the following lunch. And it was Cas who met Dean in their rooms at the end of each long day and just let him shuck off metaphorical crown and melt into their bed.

Dean had no idea what he would do without Cas.  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Excuse me Mr. Novak, was it?”

It was a few days after the funeral and Cas found himself puttering around the palace hallways, desperate for something to do. He had checked out the library but as much as Cas loved a good book he didn’t care to read the entire political history of Casterbury nor did he care for dense legal tomes. Dean, unfortunately, was usually caught up with Council meeting debriefing sessions or attending to some foreign diplomat (They seemed to be arriving in droves to meet the new King). The only times they saw one another were at meals, coronation planning meetings, and in the evenings when they were able to decompress alone.

Honestly when Cas thought about it, it wasn’t all that bad. It was like dating anyone with a job. He didn’t expect to see Dean every second of every day but he still got to see him with every meal and they were left alone in the evenings. What Cas couldn’t take was the boredom. He wondered how long it would take until he was allowed back at work.

Cas was attempting to explore a new wing of the palace when the distinctive voice of Crowley interrupted his wanderings. He turned to find the impeccably dressed councilman behind him.

“Yes, but please call me Cas.” Castiel replied. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of Crowley but figured as long as he was polite and stayed out of the way there was no harm to be had.

“Cas then.” Crowley conceded. “Would you like to have a cup of tea?”

Cas found himself moments later sitting in a rather ornate office while one of the palace kitchen aides set out an equally ornate teapot with something herbal steeping inside. He and Crowley sat at a small table in surprisingly comfortable chairs.

“Your office is quite nice.” Castiel said. Crowley waved a hand at him.

“It’s not really my office. Councilmen are not allowed to have offices within the Palace or else it would muddy the whole Constitutional Monarchy arrangement. But there are a few offices that are available for use when we are here on business. The palace is just very generous and allows me to sort of unofficially squat here, so to speak.”

Castiel nodded along and wished the tea was done so he could at least play with his spoon.

“Now, Cas, I understand that you are a schoolteacher?” Crowley asked. Cas nodded again.

“Yes, I teach elementary education out in Winchester. With Dean and his obvious duties at the palace I had hoped perhaps I could find a school in the capital that would accept me.”

Crowley scratched at his beard and then busied himself pouring their cups of tea. Evidently it was steeped enough for him.

“That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. I am not sure you understand the commitment you are making when you marry into royalty. Especially into ruling royalty.” Cas’s eyebrows shot up and Crowley cut him off by interrupting with “I know, it’s not officially on the books. But there were whispers around the palace when his royal highness requested a private meeting with his uncle, the late King Samuel. There are only so many things that would have brought him to the palace.”

“Well nothing is set in stone. Dean and I aren’t naïve about how smoothly our relationship will be expected should we try to make it more permanent.” Cas replied, sipping on his tea. He winced as the scalding liquid hit his tongue. He pursed his lips as he thought carefully about how to continue. “Not to be rude but I am unsure what my relationship has to do with the Council at this time.”

Crowley swirled his spoon in his tea before delicately setting it on his abandoned saucer.

“Currently? Nothing.” Crowley replied. “There are no rules as to whom the reigning sovereign can date should they ascend the throne unwed or become widowed during their reign. It is obviously implied that they only seek quality companions but people are willing to turn a blind eye on occasion. However when the reigning sovereign wishes to marry, that is where we get involved.”

Cas felt his fingers clench around his teacup.

“Mr. Crowley, I am not overly well versed in Casterbury law but I am aware that two men are allowed to marry and that there are surrogacy laws in place for aristocracy who are unable to produce an heir of both bloodlines. There is no legal reason why Dean and I can’t marry and we cannot use a surrogate to continue the royal Winchester line. Regardless, even if I could produce him an heir I am not of a royal bloodline so I fail to see any difference anyway.”

“Castiel, please.” Crowley stated, putting his teacup down. “We are putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. I am not here to discuss legalities here with you. I told you before, I have no interest in some medieval plot to keep apart two lovers for oh so dramatic reasons. But the last thing this country needs is a heartbroken sovereign.”

“And what makes you think that I would break Dean’s heart?” Cas asked, also abandoning his cooling tea on the small table between them.

“Because I don’t think you’re cut out for royal life.” Crowley answered. “I think that you will stay with the King for a while but eventually the waving, the bowing, the subservience, the public appearances, it will all become too much for you. So you will leave and hide away back in your little school in Winchester and the public will have to watch their new King, their beacon of strength, crumble like the 24 year old he is. Only he won’t be able to eat ice cream and watch romantic comedies all day.”

Cas felt himself deflating. He stared down at his tea and made an aborted attempt to pick it up again but found the energy had been sucked out of him.

What would it be like? In one month? Six? A year? Would he even be allowed to teach? Or would he have to attend teas with heads of state and go to ribbon cutting ceremonies and always walk one step behind Dean for the rest of his life?

Crowley let him stew for a few moments before speaking up.

“I’m not here to be the bad guy, Cas. Truly, I’m not. But I need to do what is best for my King and my country and I need to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Just think about it.”

And with that Crowley was gone.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was on one quiet evening a few weeks into Dean’s rule that Dean felt stiffness in the arm sitting around his shoulders. Cas had been rubbing some tension out of Dean’s shoulder while they watched the evening news from their bed but he hadn’t noticed Cas’s hand pausing in motion and he wondered how long he’d been zoned out for.

He reached up and gripped Cas’s hand where it sat on his arm and laced their fingers together before lifting his head to see Cas staring at the TV.

“Hey,” Dean murmured, nudging Cas with his shoulder. “Where are you?”

Cas seemed to shake out of his trance and looked down at Dean. He adopted a small smile and shook his here.

“I’m right here, just ‘spaced out’ as you usually say.” Cas stated. He kissed Dean’s head and turned back to the tv.

Dean sat up and turned the tv off.

“Ok so how about you try again?” Dean said, turning to face Cas who gently rolled his eyes.

“Is that an order?” He muttered, almost as if he didn’t intend for Dean to hear.

“Wow, ok.” Dean said, standing from the bed. “What is going on with you?”

Cas sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“Nothing is going on with me. I’m sorry, can we just go to bed?” Cas asked.

“No, we can’t.” Dean said, returning to sit back on the bed with one leg curled up, the other hanging off. “Seriously, is everything ok? You never snap at me.”

Cas played with his fingers and just when Dean was going to cave and let Cas keep whatever was bothering him to himself Cas spoke up.

“I quit my job.” Cas said.

“Okay,” Dean answered “Well we knew that was an option. I thought you hadn’t decided what you were doing yet though?”

Cas threw his hands up in frustration.

“Come on, Dean.” Cas said, “Let’s be realistic for a minute. We both know that I can’t go back to being a teaching assistant in Winchester.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. You know that you are free to leave at any time, you’re not a prisoner here for Christ’s sake.” Dean rebutted.

“Except then who would stand behind you and look pretty?”

It seemed that the reign of calm, supportive Cas had come to an abrupt end. Or maybe it hadn’t been very abrupt. Maybe Dean just hadn’t noticed.

Now normally, Dean had a pretty short fuse if you pushed the right buttons. And Cas was pushing all of them in the right order. But there was something resigned in Cas that stopped the brewing storm in Dean’s chest. Instead, he felt as if all the air in him went whooshing out like air being let out of a balloon.

“Ok Cas.” Dean said, sounding suddenly exhausted. “So what’s the endgame here? Cause if you want out now is a good time. And I can’t say that I’d blame you.”

Cas stood from the bed and started pacing.

“I don’t want ‘out.’ That’s a foolish thing to say.” Cas said.

“Ok well help me understand then.”

“I just. Dean, I did everything I was told for so long with my parents.” Cas replied, “I went to private school, dated whomever my parents wanted me to, went where they said, when they said, and never questioned any of it. And I thought....I guess I thought that after I met you that was different.”

“So what, now that I’m not your fun revenge boyfriend you’re through?”

“Dean, just stop, that’s not what I meant.” Cas said, pausing in his pacing. “Don’t be stupid. I wouldn’t waste almost five years on a ‘revenge boyfriend.’ Don’t insult me like that.”

Dean bit back a rebuttal and waited for Cas to continue.

“I just thought that once I finally did something for myself…that would be it. I would be free to be a teacher when my parents wanted me to be a lawyer and I could marry you when my parents wanted me to marry that Hannah girl. I just thought I finally had free will to make my own choices. And now it’s all going away.”

Dean flopped back on the bed while Cas took a seat on the settee in the corner. The clock on the wall ticked quietly. After a few moments Dean stood and walked over to Cas, kneeling in front of where he was perched on the edge of the settee.

“Ok, I get it. You didn’t ask for this and this was definitely not the plan,” Dean said. He reached for Cas’s hands and Cas let Dean take them. “Why don’t you take a few days and go back home.”

Cas’s head shot up and he squeezed Dean’s hands.

“That’s not what I want.” Cas replied, voice gruff.

“Yeah but I think it’s what you need,” Dean said. “I’m not saying we’re breaking up or anything but I think this has been a lot for one week. And lucky for you you’re not legally obligated to stay here.”

Cas chuckled a little before taking a deep breath and nodding.

“Ok Dean. I’ll call the school and see if they need a volunteer for a little while.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_“For the past several weeks we have been following the journey of our new King in our weekly segment ‘From College to Coronation.’ Sarah what’s the scoop today?”_

_“Thanks Patricia. King Dean has truly captured the hearts of the nation in just a few short weeks. Not since the days of King James the third has the nation been so truly invested in the life of their reigning sovereign. And not since the days of Queen Annaliese has there been such a youthful and energetic royal. We have been told that last week the Prime Minister of Ringheld was quite impressed by our young King, not to mention the photo we received of King Dean enjoying the re-opening of the Casterbury opera house with the crown princess Juliana of Myorca._

_“But the question our viewers have been asking this week is: Where is Castiel? Some of you may recall the young man who was introduced to the world just a few weeks ago as the schoolteacher boyfriend, maybe even potential future husband, of the King. Just two weeks ago he seems to have simply vanished from all public appearances. In his stead, this past week, Prince Sam has been attending royal functions at the side of the King. Where has Castiel gone? Sources say that he is back in Winchester but is he gone for good or just settling affairs before returning to the palace?_

_“For those of you have been following us the past few weeks, you know that we here at Channel 12 give our support to King Dean. Surrogacy laws and gay marriage have been controversial in this country for a long time. But maybe with a new King on the throne this could be a chance to permanently end the tension over the new laws and cement them into history where they belong._

_“We support King Dean and whomever he chooses to love. But we do hope this isn’t the last we have heard of Castiel.”_  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“The council continues to debate the trade agreements but do concur that there is not an immediate need to request negotiations.”

Crowley continued to drone on and Dean struggled to pay attention to the councilman. He diligently took down relevant notes in his book and tried to ask clarifying questions where appropriate but Crowley could tell that his mind was elsewhere.

“You highness, forgive me but maybe we should take a break?” Crowley said, crossing his leg and leaning back in his chair.

“Hmm? No, no go ahead. I got it.” Dean said, sitting up more in his seat, trying to school his expression in to one of focused attention.

Crowley closed his leatherbound folder and steepled his fingers.

“I feel like there is something on your mind, your Majesty. Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but if there is anything I can assist with, please let me know.”

Dean tapped his pen on the desk as he considered his words carefully. He leaned back in his chair and closed his own book, dropping his own pen on top.

“I have been thinking about Cas.” Dean confessed. “He has been away for a couple of weeks and I can’t help but think he may not come back.”

“Sir, I understand this time is difficult.” Crowley said, “I’m sure Mr. Novak will return when he is ready.”

“I hope so. But when he does, I don’t want him to leave again.” Dean said. “I need some help figuring out what I can do to make him happy here. I don’t want him to just stand behind me forever, he needs to feel fulfilled and productive. Couldn’t he keep teaching here? There can’t be a rule against that?”

“Technically, no there isn’t.” Crowley said, treading carefully. “Currently if he wanted to teach in Winchester or here in the capital or do pretty much anything, he could. However, if you were to become engaged and married things would change. With royal status and title comes royal duties. Your highness, if Mr. Novak married into royalty he would be bestowed with a royal title as would be his right and privilege. Becoming the partner of a King would require presence at state events, royal parties, public functions, both with and without you. He would have to become a royal entity of his own. Even if his position allowed him the legal ability to take a profession, he simply would not have the time.”

Dean hummed at that in response. It was nothing he didn’t truly know but he had hoped somehow that Crowley would have different news for him.

“What if he were to have a specialty area in his royal duties? In his country the First Lady or Gentleman has their own platform and, among their other traditional duties, they are able to spend time focusing on a particular issue or need that is close to their heart and beneficial to the country as a whole. Would the Council consider allowing something like that?”

Crowley rubbed at his beard, considering. Dean sat up in his chair, suddenly filled with energy.

“Maybe he could have a children’s education focus. The Council could allow him to cut back on certain royal duties, maybe a smaller amount of public appearances in favor of philanthropic work with children’s schools and orphanages and imagine the good image that kind of work would bring the palace. Not just the palace, but the High Council, hell the whole country!” Dean smacked a palm excitedly on his desk.

“It does sound like it could work. I would have to bring it to the council for discussion and put it to a vote. Not to mention, putting together the actual proposal will take a few weeks. We need to be sure that this doesn’t cross any political bounds so we don’t upset the church.”

“Of course, I understand.” Dean replied. “I think it can work though. I’ve heard what people say about Cas. They seem to like him a lot.”

“That they do, Your Highness.”

Dean nodded. Refocused, he re-opened his book and picked up his pen, motioning for Crowley to do the same.

“So you were saying that we are going to stay with our current trade agreements with Myorca? I think that seems like a good idea. I was reviewing those earlier this week and there are a few things I would recommend tweaking a little but we need to make it through our five year commitment before we start renegotiations.”

Crowley nodded slowly and, with an appraising look, re-opened his folder.

Maybe he had been underestimating the King.  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fergus Crowley was the only child of Rowena Connell but Crowley was sure that even if she had more children after him he would still be the most hated.

Obviously it was Crowley’s fault that his mother got pregnant with him just as she was on the brink of becoming a soloist in the Casterbury National Ballet Company. It was Crowley’s fault that his father was an already married man who wanted nothing to do with either of them. And of course, it was Crowley’s fault that she had been unable in her youth to procure a wealthy husband who could take care of them both. It may have been the twentieth century but men were still picky about choosing a bride who had an illegitimate child.

Still, Fergus occasionally wondered why she even kept him around. Why hadn’t she just dropped him on a doorstep and been done with him? It’s possible that deep in her heart she held some sort of love for him. Although she swears it was simply because it was easier to scam a night’s stay in a hotel or a crisp stack of bills from kindly do-gooders who saw a poor young girl and her helpless child.

Crowley was more inclined to believe the latter.

Despite his unconventional start in life he managed to work his way up through the ranks in public school before dropping out and taking an apprenticeship with the local municipal court in his town that needed an errand boy. He quickly learned the intricacies of small town government and a local representative, seeing potential in Crowley, encouraged him to secure his diploma and he would finance his way through business school.

Years later Crowley would demolish that man during election season to secure his own seat.

But local politics held no true interest for Crowley. He didn’t truly care whether a sidewalk was put in on Coral Street or whether there should be firmer policies around loitering in the town square. But he bided his time, currying favor with his township before moving up and up the ladder straight to court. He was the youngest person to join the High Council in 43 years, at the young age of 32. He served for 15 years before being unanimously elected Chairman, the highest elected position in the entire country, and his first five years had gone as well as could be expected. King Samuel was not the easiest royal to work for but Crowley was a shark and got what he wanted. His sixth year was proving to be the most interesting by far of any other in his years of public service.

Which brings him to his current meeting. So far this year he had seen a King and a Crown Prince struck down by the hand of God, a 24 year old sitting on the throne, and he was sitting with a man who claimed that the crown belonged rightfully on his head.

“So you can see, Chairman Crowley, why I felt I had to come forward.” The man said. “Please don’t misunderstand, I mean no ill will towards His Royal Highness. But I can’t stand idly by and allow his coronation when I know that I am the rightful heir to the throne.”

Crowley drummed his his fingers on his knee leaning back in his chair. Out of context he may have looked like he was carefully contemplating his next move in a game of chess. The coronation was only three short months away and a man from Rusheah looked to derail all of the carefully laid plans.

“You have to understand what a…grand statement you are making Mr. Voce-“

“Please, call me Marvin. Or Marv, if you like.” The man said. His curled hair looked as greasy as his smile.

“Marv.” Crowley said, wincing internally. “As I was saying, it is a grand statement to seek to petition the High Council for legitimacy of the throne. I encourage you to carefully consider before submitting. It is an arduous process and there is a lot of red tape, not to mention the publicity.”

“I have all the evidence you need.” Marv responded, pulling manilla folders out of his leather satchel. He dropped them on Crowley’s desk with a ceremonious thunk. “You will find birth records for my family going back to 1834 with the birth of my great great grandfather, Richard Campbell, the eldest son of King Rupert. He was accused by his younger brother, Henry, of plotting against the King so he was exiled from the country. I have DNA evidence that I am his direct descendent and given that King Henry absolved my great great grandfather of any wrongdoing following his death it is clear that he was the rightful heir to the throne. And as his direct descendent I am here to take my rightful place when he could not.”

Crowley picked up the first folder on the file and leafed through the contents with disinterest. He put on his most convincing smile and told Marv that he would absolutely put it on the next Council agenda and would get back to him as soon as possible.

Satisfied, for now at least, Marv collected his satchel and left. Crowley rang for his assistant to bring him some more tea. It would be a long night.

Crowley hated paperwork.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The palace Butler could say that he would be happy when the King’s new rooms were finally complete. Then he would be able to organize for the King’s temporary quarters to be recarpeted. It seemed His Royal Highness had a penchant for wearing through the carpet between his bed and his armchair while on the phone with his brother. Perhaps the new suite should be carpeted with AstroTurf.

“Sam I don’t know what I’m going to do. Crowley says this dude is legit and we could have a real problem on our hands.”

Sam sighed on the other end of the line.

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do, man. Look, it’s not a commentary on your personality or your public popularity or anything. Everyone loves you. The country is excited to have a young, liberal ruler. But if the Council rules that this Marv guy has a stronger claim then I guess that’s that.”

“No that’s not that, Sam. How can he have a stronger claim? Our grandfather was the King, this guy’s grandfather was a farmer or something. He’s never been to court, he’s never been royal, he would ruin the country.”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“But Dean, would it really be so bad? I mean, then maybe you and Cas-“

“Don’t worry about me and Cas, ok? I’m working on it.” Dean snapped. Sam sighed again.

“Ok man, I get it. Listen I wish I could come back but the school won’t let me miss any more time and I don’t want to mess up my courses. I’ll be done in another month though so I’ll be there for a few weeks before your coronation.”

“If I have one.” Dean snorted.

“Haha.” Sam retorted. “Get some rest, Dean. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, ok?”

“Night, Sam.”

Dean hung up the phone and flopped onto his bed. He played with the cell phone still in his hand. He should take it back out to valet who was waiting outside of his door. But instead he lifted it up and dialed another number.

“Hello, you’ve reached Castiel Novak. I’m told you will understand to leave a message at the beep so this message is redundant.”

Dean smiled and hung up before the beep could sound.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Over the next two weeks preparations continued full steam ahead towards Dean’s coronation which was rapidly approaching. Dean supposed it was a good thing they hadn’t halted plans just yet. But the High Council also hadn’t yet thrown away Marv’s petition to the throne.

It was unfortunately picked up by all of the major news outlets across Casterbury who were beating the story to death. They kept the public enthralled by dangling the potential of the scandalous possibility that the coronation might be cancelled. That King Dean could be exiled if Marvin Voce was successful in taking the throne.

Luckily, it appeared that, for the most part, the public seemed to be on Dean’s side. Marv had taken it upon himself to play the victim for any new outlet that would have him. But when pressed about his readiness to take up the royal mantle and rule the country he faltered on a few occasions. There was a late night show that had him on the air and jokingly challenged him to an etiquette game show that ended up with him offending the fictional ruler of a country from a popular children’s novel. When questioned on CTV about certain political opinions he was loud and outspoken and, as they soon discovered, very conservative. The liberal leaning country was not overjoyed at the possibility of having another King Samuel on the throne, nor were they a fan of royals who took too strong a political opinion.

It was the job of royalty to guide with a gentle touch, not with a hearty shove.

But as the date of Dean’s coronation drew ever closer he grew more nervous. Surely they should have a decision made by now?

Dean found himself sitting in his office reviewing minutes from the last Council meeting for the third time when Bela entered the room.

“Your Majesty.” She said, curtseying politely. Dean had told her multiple times that she did not need to curtsey every time she addressed him or even at all if they were in private. She didn’t seem to take to heart his suggestion just yet but Dean had hoped one day she would. “I am sorry to interrupt but an unscheduled visitor has arrived a requested an audience with you.”

Dean frowned and looked at his watch. He still had another 25 minutes before he was supposed to meet with the chef to review the coronation feast menu for finalization. He beckoned for Bela to show in

whomever the visitor was. Bela was a firm screener of unannounced guests and so Dean had faith in her.

He had just finished tucking away any other official business before looking up at his guest.

“Cas.” Dean breathed out. He shot up out of his seat and walked around the table to find himself staring into eyes his favorite shade of blue.

“Hello Dean.” Cas said, smiling gently. He paused momentarily before bowing his head slightly and adding in a murmur, “Your highness.”

Dean reached out and gently cupped Cas’s cheek. Cas tilted his head back up and Dean leaned slightly forward before sliding his hand around Cas’s neck to pull him in for a brief hug. Where did they stand now? Dean hadn’t contacted Cas in weeks to give him some space and, as far as Dean knew, Cas hadn’t tried contacting the palace either.

He felt Cas squeeze him back gently so at least he knew his hug wasn’t out of line. Stepping back he motioned to the chair in front of his desk for Cas to sit, opting to lean against the desk.

“Cas, how have you been? What brings you to the palace?” Dean asked. He wasn’t sure exactly what answers to those questions would honestly make him happy so he held his breath waiting for the response.

“I have been well. As well as can be expected, at least.” Cas replied, sitting gently and immediately playing with the backpack that he had transferred to his lap. “I am sure that you are busy getting ready for your coronation but I wanted to come and see you.”

“Cas, I will never be too busy for you.” Dean said quietly. Cas smiled sadly up at him.

“I know that won’t always be true.”

Dean’s heart skipped a beat but he tried to remain calm. Cas hadn’t explicitly said he wanted to get back together. But he certainly had just implied that he expected to be around in the future.

“No, I uh, I guess not. But if it’s my choice, you know that you will always come first.”

“Sam called me. Last week.” Cas said, the conversation shifting quickly. “He told me you’ve been having a rough time.”

Dean squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his thumb and forefinger across his eyelids.

“Well prying giant little brothers really should keep their mouths shut.” Dean grumbled but then sighed, “But he’s not wrong. Cas I miss you. I’m sorry I messed up and I know me being King won’t change…or actually it might who knows at this point…But I need you. Ok? I need you here with me and if you can’t do that then well, I can’t say I blame you. But I have been working with the Council and trying to figure out a way that you can be here and still feel like you’re worth something more than just a person on my arm. Because you are, you’re so much more than that and I never want you to feel like you’re any less than me or anybody else. I can’t make you promises that it will always be perfect but it will always be us. You know, if you wanted to stay.” Dean tapered off at the end, all too aware of his babbling.

But then Cas was up and kissing him and it was perfect. They broke apart after a minute and stood holding each other for a few minutes longer.

“I love you, Dean. I loved you before you were King and I’ll love you after. Being a teacher is great but nothing is as good as when I’m with you. I can be happy here.” Cas said. Dean chuckled darkly.

“Well like I said, it’s still up in the air whether I’ll even see my coronation so don’t resign yourself just yet.”

That seemed to shake Cas out of his stupor.

“Oh! That reminds me why I’m here.” At Dean’s raised eyebrow Cas rolled his eye, “Ok the other reason why I’m here.”

Cas opened his backpack and pulled out a beat folder.

“I’ve been seeing that Marv guy on the news and I just knew how important being King was to you so I figured there had to be something I could do. I called Bobby and we went through the library at Winchester Manor and found these.”

Cas thrust the folder into Dean’s hands. He opened the folder and carefully scanned the first few pages before smiling.  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_“Hello everyone and welcome to CTV’s all access coverage of the coronation of King Dean. As we all know, this was a highly anticipated event but also highly contested. Just a few weeks ago a gentleman by the name of Marvin Voce sought to unseat King Dean with his own claim to the throne through his great great grandfather, the exiled son of King Rupert. His claims were unsuccessful however. Here is Sarah with the full story.”_

_“Thank you, Patricia. As you all remember the mysterious Castiel Novak seemed to appear with His Royal Highness and disappear just as quickly. It seems that leading up to the coronation he was volunteering at an elementary school in Winchester until he heard that his King was in peril. He worked with Robert Singer, Butler of Winchester Manor, and together they unearthed long forgotten genealogical records of Lord John Winchester, Marques of Wesson. It seems that John’s family history was not as plain as some may have thought. It was discovered that John’s 5 times great grandfather was in line for the throne but abdicated in favor of marrying a commoner, which was illegal at the time for royalty. It seems that family line faded into relative obscurity until a little further down the line John Winchester’s great grandfather was awarded the title Earl of Winchester for services rendered unto the King. As everyone remembers, Lord John was also granted the title Marques of Wesson upon his marriage to Princess Mary. This provides His Royal Highness with two legal claims to the throne on both sides of his family. It was unanimously decided among the High Council to reject Mr. Voce’s petition._

_“It is truly a romance story for the ages as His Royal Highness and Mr. Novak have been inseparable since his return to the palace. We have received an official statement from the palace that there will be several changes made in the weeks following the coronation but rumor has it that the first will be an official engagement announcement for the happy couple. Back to you Patricia.”_

_“Thank you, Sarah. At this time we are going to go live to St. Charles where just a few months ago we saw the devastating funeral of King Samuel and Prince David. Now the hall is ready to welcome new life into monarchy as we go live to the coronation of King Dean.”_  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The coronation went off without a hitch. Dean knew his lines and his choreography, as he called it as Sam mocked him with jazz hands during rehearsal. It was one of the few times in Sam’s life that he saw his brother truly look solemn. But it was not an unhappy or a dreadful solemnity. It was serene.

All too soon, Dean was anointed, had pledged his fidelity to his country and to his church, and was soon crowned and swept out of the building in the most ridiculously large cloak he had ever seen in his life.

The next great surprise came at a press conference later that day. Dean, now wearing a less flashy crown and a more appropriately sized one, had announced that due to his recent discovery of his royal Winchester familial line he had decided that his house would be styled as Winchester and not Campbell. He felt that while he loved his Uncle and Grandfather (one more than the other perhaps) it was time for a change and maybe this would continue to help shift public image away from any negative feelings they had held towards the previous ruler.

The Palace had decided to wait a week or so to announce the royal engagement of King Dean and Castiel Novak. But Dean and Cas didn’t mind. They had a whole lifetime.

The End.


End file.
